I woke up thinking about a couple of parts Gene Hackman didn't play, one at the start of his career, one deep into it. The first was The Graduate, in which he was cast as Anne Bancroft's husband; Mike Nichols fired him during rehearsals for reasons that are still in dispute. 1/ - ThreadSky

markharris.bsky.social • 21 days ago

I woke up thinking about a couple of parts Gene Hackman didn't play, one at the start of his career, one deep into it. The first was The Graduate, in which he was cast as Anne Bancroft's husband; Mike Nichols fired him during rehearsals for reasons that are still in dispute. 1/

Comments

alkali19.bsky.social•21 days ago

Interesting — Hackman’s small part in Nichols’ film of Postcards from the Edge (20+ years later) is a performance I’m quite fond of

clemsongamecock.bsky.social•21 days ago

❤️

mg81992.bsky.social•21 days ago

You are the first person I’ve ever seen on any social network (other than myself) to mention Hackman’s performance in POSTCARDS. It’s an absolutely perfect piece of film acting and one of my favorite examples of his work.

alkali19.bsky.social•21 days ago

among other things, it's basically a six minute monologue opposite Meryl Streep, which is more than a little terrifying
https://youtu.be/W8y5SvzUYhU

markharris.bsky.social•21 days ago

Nichols loved Hackman as an actor; decades later, they would work together three times. But I feel like Hackman walked away from The Graduate feeling he had something to prove, and proved it with an early-1970s run of performances that turned him into an unlikely first-tier movie star. 2/

markharris.bsky.social•21 days ago

The other performance? There's a world in which Hackman would have directed and starred in Silence of the Lambs. He read the novel, said he could instantly see it as a movie and see himself in it, and acquired the rights. He worked on it, then surrendered it, reportedly put off by the violence. 3/

ruthredman.bsky.social•21 days ago

I didn’t think I could love him more..

markharris.bsky.social•21 days ago

By then he had a sure sense of what was right for him and nothing to prove. He was, I think, the consummate American actor of his generation. As a young kid, I saw Poseidon Adventure (loved it) and The Conversation (was confused). I couldn't believe that the same man starred in them. I still can't.

thirdmanmovies.bsky.social•21 days ago

I just posted about this—I don’t think any all-timer ever loved making genre movies more than he did, and certainly no one was ever better in them. He elevated them so much they often felt like prestige movies, even though they were genre through and through.

gilmoure.bsky.social•21 days ago

Reading up on Gene Hackman today, I had no idea he had retired from acting 20 years ago.

He's in so many films that we watch; seems like he never left the screen.

thirdmanmovies.bsky.social•21 days ago

He actually had a relatively short career, exactly 40 years from first film to last.

That may seem long, but it isn’t for a perpetual A-lister. Tom Cruise has already been acting longer than 40 years.

But Hackman started late-ish (first movie at 34) and retired early-ish (74).

jmla.bsky.social•21 days ago

Very few people could be cartoonishly great (lex luthor) and also The Conversation Night Moves great. He was also walk-on unassuming bit part great (postcards). Just always a joy. And still the best luthor.

ducksfastlane.bsky.social•21 days ago

Didn't know about his connection to "The Graduate" or "Silence of the Lambs". Interesting... Thanks so much for the info. He's in my top 5. I think I've seen everything he ever did. He was everything an actor could aspire to. I fondly remember his interview on Actor's Workshop.

jfassler.bsky.social•21 days ago

I still think Hackman should have played Colonel Kurtz instead of Marlon Brando. You'd have believed that Hackman could be capable of immense intelligence and madness, which you couldn't say for Brando during that period.

fatbird.bsky.social•21 days ago

I can totally see this. Brando's Kurtz is just pure jungle madness. Hackman would encompass the whole arc from future-joint-chiefs officer to jungle madman, carried there by the inexorable logic of war.

sweetwawdahh.bsky.social•21 days ago

I've never thought of this before but his point, and your explanation, totally sold me.

mattpb.bsky.social•18 days ago

David Lynch may have been put off by the violence, but, thematically, "Red Dragon" would've made so much sense coming from his hands. No wonder DeLaurentiis bought it for him.

shepcatzero.bsky.social•21 days ago

Had he decided he was too squeamish to play Lecter, he'd still have been a terrific Jack Crawford.

filmnerddave.bsky.social•21 days ago

Plus, I think after Mississippi Burning, per Ted Tally's recollection, Hackman didn't want to be involved with another film about the FBI.

lyledal.bsky.social•21 days ago

That would have been something to see. Very different! Probably still excellent though!

petersagal.bsky.social•21 days ago

Wow. As Lecter, I assume? Would have been far more like Brian Cox’s take on the character in “Manhunter,” I suppose, which would have been fascinating.

zackwagman.bsky.social•21 days ago

Wow!

bryancogman.bsky.social•21 days ago

And, of course… he was the first choice for Mike Brady in ‘The Brady Bunch’. Major alternate reality had that worked out.

mgoodmanbooks.bsky.social•21 days ago

He once said that his own favorite performance was in Scarecrow. He loved that film and had such high hopes for it, and when it tanked at the box office he decided he was only going to make commercial films from then on.

mattpb.bsky.social•18 days ago

I wonder if he's part of how Jerry Schatzberg got involved with Chris Reeve to make "Street Smart"?

filmnerddave.bsky.social•21 days ago

His performance as the director in Postcards From The Edge is a personal favorite. Especially, when he shows Meryl Streep the dailies towards the end of the film.

l4ur3l.bsky.social•21 days ago

I think of the ADR scene often!

That’s his showcase performance for me in that he does two Hackman things: his overbearing asshole director presence, followed by his knowing kindness that helps Meryl start to get it together.

filmnerddave.bsky.social•21 days ago

I'm sure he picked up some tidbits from his time working with the likes of Arthur Penn, F.F. Coppola, Mike Nichols, and Warren Beatty.

l4ur3l.bsky.social•21 days ago

Haha, yeah. He had no shortage of meaningful collaborations.

tombrueggemann.bsky.social•21 days ago

Bonnie & Clyde was my transformative movie, & Hackman's performance more than any of the other remarkable ones in it stood out. One surprise after another. But the 1971-75 period (French Connection, Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation, Night Moves) - transcendant.

tombrueggemann.bsky.social•21 days ago

Young Frankenstein also in that period. One of the things he did was switch between lead and supporting performances at the height of his career. Smart move, was uncommon at the time.

maximummary.bsky.social•21 days ago

Jack Nicholson did it too. When asked why in an interview once, he said that at some point you inevitably have to start taking some smaller roles and if you’ve been doing it all along, people won’t think it’s a big deal.

imaginaryvoyage.bsky.social•21 days ago

I don’t know if this has ever been confirmed, but, it’s been said that Hackman was in the running to play Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, of all roles. He lost out to Robert Reed, of course (if the story is true).

hal4000.bsky.social•21 days ago

Hackman as Mike Brady I can actually see.

Robert Reed as Popeye Doyle? Ehhhh...

lasmitty.bsky.social•21 days ago

My favorite actor. In a slew of great performances one that affected me most was "The Firm". His mixture of bravado and soul sickness was (to me)the epitome of his brilliance.

rme33.bsky.social•21 days ago

I regret the news is mostly not mentioning his role in The Royal Tenenbaums, for my money maybe his best part.

lesliealarson.bsky.social•21 days ago

Agree.

your-friend-geoff.bsky.social•21 days ago

I've spent a startling amount of my life imagining Gene Hackman as Tom Hagen.

kassax.bsky.social•21 days ago

Sherwood Schwartz wanted him for Mike Brady. THAT would have been a career changer.

elizabethmayo.bsky.social•21 days ago

This one shocked me.

travexas.bsky.social•21 days ago

My absolute, hands down, all time favorite actor. The Royal Tannenbaums is one of the great all time performances. Getting to see The French Connection on the big screen while working at MoMA solidified my love for work.

flyingsaucer.bsky.social•21 days ago

All the mentions of parts he played, not one dud amongst them.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply